Some injury stories are more embarrassing than others. Pitcher Pete Fairbanks returned to the Tampa Bay Rays roster Thursday with a self-inflicted black eye.
No, the right-hander didn’t pick up the injury while boxing, but while playing basketball with his 3-year-old. Fairbanks, recovering from a hip injury that left him on the absentee list for 15 days, kept himself busy hanging the baskets at his swimming pool.
“I smacked myself in the face with the pool basketball net after ‘dunking’ a three-year-old to quickly teach him a life lesson about not being inattentive when in colour. Did it end with a black eye for me? Yes,” said the 29-year-old athlete with a smile.
Fairbanks still bears the war wounds of her attempt, but isn’t afraid to share her mishap. It also makes people around you laugh.
“My wife has been laughing at me ever since, like most people here. “It’s been five days now,” he said of the dressing room.
“When you’re in the paint, you can’t go unnoticed under the rim.”
Life lessons (and basketball) courtesy of Pete Fairbanks 😅 pic.twitter.com/4SB533rsFV
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 15, 2023
Finally, the question arises, who received the lesson of life …